Fast forward to January 27, 1901. Not much else has happened the previous year. Notable events included the reelection of William McKinley as US President, and the launching of SMS Kaiser in November. Ferdinand Porsche was also hired, forming the automotive equivalent of the Avengers.
And today I'm giving my father a birthday gift for the first time.
My gift is the masterpiece built by Daimler-Benz. Using the combined abilities of Daimler, Maybach, Benz and Porsche, this automotive superteam created the 'König'. In original history, this would have been the iconic '35hp Mercedes', the first truly modern car.
Even though Daimler-Benz is an automobile company, cars during this time were more like automatic carriages rather than the car we know in the future. The Mercedes was the model that changed this. When I learned that Daimler-Benz were building the original Mercedes, I told them that I'll give it to my father as a gift.
Panicked that they were building something for the Kaiser, they scrapped their original plans, since the Mercedes was originally going to be a racecar. The alternative was the König, it still uses the Mercedes' 35hp engine, but instead the chassis was enlarged to include rear seats. The König includes gas-flame headlights and a detachable vinyl roof.
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The day after my father's birthday celebration, I guide him outside the palace to show him my gift.
"Happy birthday father, this is my gift for you."
Seeing the beautiful carriage, my father bursts out laughing.
"Hahahaha! Thank you Joachim, what's it called."
"We named it König, this car was built by the car company I own. As you can see, this type of design will soon be the future of automobiles. But since this one is especially for my father, it was designed with much more luxuries."
My father and family walk around the car, since its the first time they've seen such a design, everyone was curious. Eventually we each took turns driving around the palace, for safety I had my other aid Leon specially trained so as to avoid any accidents.
My father was ecstatic at his new ride. Impressed at the product of my company, he subsequently gave me a royal warrant. This allowed me to advertise that my company supplied the royal family. I subsequently rebranded my company accordingly.
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February, 1901 // London, United Kingdom
Queen Victoria died on January 22, but now I'm in London to attend the funeral.
In contrast to my first visit here a few years ago, the atmosphere is much more solemn. As if everyone is somewhat aware that her death signifies the end of Britain's most glorious era.
The funeral procession started by carrying the deceased queen's body on board her yacht. As the boat passed I can hear guns being fired at a minutes interval. The huge procession of ships was glorious, I kind of start to understand Wilhelm's boat fetish now. Who wouldn't be enchanted seeing hundreds of ships sailing in unison.
The procession continued the next day at Windsor Castle. The day was exceptionally cold, it resulted in an incident where the gun carriage carrying the queen wouldn't move. Eventually the royal guardsmen were able to fix it, but you can clearly see the frustration and humiliation evident in their faces.
We moved from Windsor to London, then arrived in the afternoon for the final destination at St. George's Chapel. The mass was really boring, I ended up passing the time by counting sheep, but instead of sheep I was observing the countless royals and nobles in the crowd.
I could see the heirs of Romania, Denmark, Austria, Saxony, Siam and more. Meanwhile the most distinguished would be the monarchs that attended themselves. The king of Greece and Portugal were evident, meanwhile my brows furrow as I see the representative of human garbage, Leopold II.
Leopold II, this guy is best known for his atrocities as the sole owner of the Congo. But he was trash at home too, like locking up his own sister after she suffered from the death of her husband, or the many confirmed/unconfirmed uses of prostitutes. In 1899 when Leopold II was 65, he started an affair with a 16 year old prostitute, she soon became enriched from the gifts he received, and since they were mainly funded from Leopold's profits in the Congo, she got the nickname 'Queen of the Congo.'
Finishing my thoughts on the demon wearing a human mask, the most exalted of the guests would obviously be my father and eldest brother.
The end of the funeral signaled the dawn of a new era. A new era of dreadnoughts, cars, and maybe a new era led by Germany.